19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

Tahitian Landscape Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Tahitian Landscape by Paul Gauguin, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Pale Linen on most walls, use Soft Green for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Warm Red to one bold piece. Warm Yellow suits floors, wood and frames, and Warm Linen works best in a single textile.

Artist: Paul Gauguin
Date: 1892
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 73

Tahitian Landscape by Paul Gauguin — Paul Gauguin, *Tahitian Landscape*, 1892. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Deep Teal

#3C584F · 39.2% · LRV 9

Warm Yellow

#948464 · 20.5% · LRV 24

Warm Linen

#716C52 · 19.8% · LRV 15

Pale Linen

#EEDCC0 · 9% · LRV 73

Soft Green

#7AAA7B · 6.7% · LRV 34

Warm Red

#C4714E · 4.8% · LRV 24

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

Tahitian Landscape reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Deep Teal is strongest — Deep Teal

Detail of the painting where Warm Yellow is strongest — Warm Yellow

Detail of the painting where Warm Linen is strongest — Warm Linen

Detail of the painting where Pale Linen is strongest — Pale Linen

Detail of the painting where Soft Green is strongest — Soft Green

Detail of the painting where Warm Red is strongest — Warm Red

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Deep Teal `#3C584F`	Valspar 5011-4 Favorite Green Very close Behr HDC-CL-21A Dark Everglade Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 16 Billiard Green Close Farrow & Ball No. 93 Studio Green Similar	9	Small accents, art, accessories
Warm Yellow `#948464`	Behr 700D-5 Toffee Crunch Near-identical Sherwin-Williams SW 2815 Renwick Olive Very close Valspar 3007-9B Winter Delta Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Similar	24	Wood and frames
Warm Linen `#716C52`	Behr BXC-05 Mudslide Very close Valspar 6006-4C City Arboretum Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2851 Sage Green Light Close Farrow & Ball No. 298 Bancha Close	15	One small textile
Pale Linen `#EEDCC0`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6386 Napery Near-identical Behr UL150-7 Light Incense Near-identical Valspar 3003-6C Simple Pleasures Very close Farrow & Ball No. 2013 Matchstick Very close	73	Main walls
Soft Green `#7AAA7B`	Valspar 5008-6B Spring Leaves Very close Behr N390-5 Eucalyptus Wreath Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9035 Frosted Emerald Close Farrow & Ball No. 214 Arsenic Similar	34	Bed, sofa, curtains
Warm Red `#C4714E`	Behr M210-6 Orange Liqueur Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6340 Baked Clay Close Valspar 2006-3A Roasted Squash Close Farrow & Ball No. 64 Red Earth Similar	24	One bold piece

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How pale linen looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#D1C9BB

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#F2DEC0

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C9AF8B

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Warm Yellow and the rug border takes Warm Linen in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Pale Linen

Soft Green

Warm Red

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

North West Facing Living Room Colors for Cool Mornings and Warm Evenings West-facing · Living room

North Facing Bathroom Paint Colors: Warm Tans for Cool Light North-facing · Bathroom

More palettes like this

Two Women Paul Gauguin, 1901 or 1902

Rue de l'Epicerie, Rouen (Effect of Sunlight) Camille Pissarro, 1898

Oil Sketch for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884" Georges Seurat, 1884

FAQ

What colors are in Tahitian Landscape?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Deep Teal (#3C584F, 39.2% of the canvas), Warm Yellow (#948464, 20.5% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#716C52, 19.8% of the canvas), Pale Linen (#EEDCC0, 9% of the canvas), Soft Green (#7AAA7B, 6.7% of the canvas), Warm Red (#C4714E, 4.8% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 73% of the light that hits it (LRV 73), so it keeps a small room bright. Keep the darkest colors to one piece of furniture or a textile.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.